NORFOLK — City Council approved a rezoning measure Tuesday that could set the stage for future development at a Berkley shipyard, despite objections from residents and community members.
Norfolk City Council members voted 6-2 to rezone a portion of the Colonna’s Shipyard property in Berkley, a step toward allowing future redevelopment of the property on Tuesday evening. Mayor Kenny Alexander and Ward 4 member John “J.P.” Paige voted against the measure.
Dozens of Berkley residents and their supporters, most dressed in all black, packed the right side of City Council chambers to oppose the rezoning effort. In public comments, residents said Colonna’s was a bad neighbor and accused the shipyard of perpetuating environmental injustice.
“Once again, a working-class Black community is being asked to bear the cost of corporate convenience,” said Berkley resident Jay Boone.
Related Articles
Dockworker union sues Port of Virginia over semi-automated cranes
The action rezones nearly 10 acres west of Spotico Creek and east of Interstate 464 from multi-family to industrial. Colonna’s aims to expand its footprint to increase employee parking options and eventually grow the yard.
The move comes after more than a dozen Berkley residents spoke out against the 150-year-old historic shipyard in August, saying they have been bombarded by loud noise, sandblasting dust, light and other pollution.
Representing Colonna’s, land use attorney Robert Beaman said the rezoning could eventually help open up land on the existing property to address some resident concerns.
Colonna’s Shipyard is one of the oldest family-owned and -operated shipyards in the United States and specializes in maintenance and ship repair, conversion, machining and large steel fabrication services for commercial and government vessels. It has three floating dry docks, and employs roughly 750 people, including 600 in Norfolk.
Explaining his vote against the rezoning, Alexander, a former president of Berkley’s Beacon Light Civic League, said Colonna’s had not been a good neighbor and added that the shipyard had not complied with previous civic league requests to make residents whole.
“This is an opportunity for you to get it right,” Alexander said about future development, which would need to go through various city permitting processes.
Paige voted against the measure but credited Colonna’s Chairman and CEO Randall Crutchfield for previously meeting with him.
The rezoning comes after two failed attempts to create a multifamily housing development on the land in 2007 and in 2016.
Trevor Metcalfe, 757-222-5345, trevor.metcalfe@pilotonline.com